Railroad hopper cars have been used for years to transport particulate/granular materials. Covered railroad hopper cars are provided with a roof for protecting the hopper car contents from contaminants and weather related elements. Access to an interior of a covered railcar from above is accomplished through a hatch opening in the roof of the railcar. Cowled coaming, upstanding from the roof, typically extends peripherally about the hatch opening.
The hatch opening in the railcar roof is closed during transport by a series of individual hatch covers. In a closed position, each hatch cover lies across an upper edge of the railcar coaming and, preferably, seals the hatch opening. Along one side thereof, the hatch cover is typically provided with a series of hinge structures which are secured to an upper surface of and extend outwardly from a side of the hatch cover. Typically, a free end of the hinge structure is pivotally connected to a stationary bracket extending upwardly from the railcar roof and embracing the free end of the hinge structure. In this regard, the free end of the hinge structure is usually configured with an eye-like opening which receives an elongated hinge pin or bolt extending through aligned openings on the bracket.
As will be appreciated, there are several different manufacturers of railcars. Moreover, there are numerous hopper car designs having hatch openings of varying lengths and types and each requiring a specific hatch cover construction. To exacerbate the problem, the various railcar manufacturers design the hatch openings with coaming which extends upwardly from the railcar roof differing distances.
There are also numerous variables existing in hatch covers used with known hopper cars. Different railcar hatch openings can have different widths, different hinge pin to coaming distances, different hinge pin diameters, as well as different brackets. In view of these differences and other related variables, heretofore it has been practically impossible to provide a single hinge structure adaptable to all of these variables while maintaining a closed hatch cover in a sealed relationship relative to the railcar coaming. As such, replacement of the hinge structures to cooperate with the hinge brackets and/or replacement of the brackets on the car roof to cooperate with the hinge structures is required. Of course, replacement of either the hinge structures on the hatch covers or the hinge brackets on the railcar is a time consuming and tedious process. Moreover, due consideration needs to be given to the exposure of the hinge structures to weather related elements and the problems created by such weather related elements (i.e. corrosion) to the hinge structure components used to pivotally connect the hatch cover to the railcar.
In view of these problems and the many different variables existing in the field of hopper cars equipped with hatch covers, there is a continuing need and desire for a hinge structure configured to universally allow for pivotal securement of a railcar hatch cover to any of several different railcar constructions whereby significantly reducing the inventory a supplier must carry to satisfy the needs of the industry.